Kroger’s King Soopers extend organic, omnichannel reach

Cincinnati —The Kroger Co.’s King Soopers division is tapping into consumers’ growing appetite for food delivery and natural and organic products with a new digital initiative.

The company has launched a new website that offers over 36,000 natural and organic products for customers who live in and around the Denver metro area. Every product is free from more than 101 artificial ingredients and preservatives that many customers prefer to be left out of products.

"Increasingly, our customers are looking for more simple, convenient and relevant ways to shop, whether it's in-store, on our website or on their mobile devices," Russ Dispense, King Soopers president, said.

Kroger said the eCommerce website is the next step in its effort to make seamless, omnichannel shopping a reality.

The new website uses the technology platform and ship-to-home fulfillment network of Vitacost.com, one of the largest pure eCommerce companies in the nutrition and healthy living market. Kroger completed its merger with Vitacost.com in August 2014.

The company will test the Denver-area website a prototype before replicating the experience in other markets.

"King Soopers has a long heritage of leading in the natural and organics space, so we are excited to launch our pilot in Denver,” Kevin Dougherty, Kroger's group VP of digital and Vitacost, said.

The new website “extends the in-store shopping experience to create a true 'endless aisle' experience with ship-to-home service for thousands more healthy foods, vitamins, minerals and supplements than are available in our stores today," he said.

Brookwood Village unveils remodel plans for redevelopment

Birmingham, Ala. — Cypress Equities, the management company for Brookwood Village, announced its plans for updating the interior of the two-level shopping center that straddles the communities of Homewood and Mountain Brook.

The overall goal of the $20 million redevelopment plan is to reimage the shopping center in a way that connects with its targeted shoppers in the surrounding communities. This new approach creates a casually sophisticated setting reminiscent of homes that are found in the center’s immediate trade area. Contemporary modern architecture will be combined with traditional elements, accented by an eclectic mix of furnishings and softer finishes.

“Our fresh slant on the redesign of Brookwood Village is to convert it to a boutique shopping and entertainment destination,” stated Todd Minnis, chief investment officer for Cypress Equities. “We aim to create a hospitality-flavored experience with all the comforts of home.”

Work will commence as early as July 6 and be accomplished in four phases, with the overall interior project slated for completion by June 1, 2016.

The first phase of the project will encompass the east side of the upper level stretching from Macy’s to Kay Jewelers. Scheduled to be complete by the end of September 2015, the common area concourse between Macy’s and the Village Eatery Food Court will be updated with wood flooring. Soft seating areas will be positioned on spacious area rugs in a number of locations spaced along the hallway. The interior court positioned directly outside Macy’s entrance leading into the mall’s common area will feature sofas, coffee tables, ottomans and lamps, providing shoppers with a comfortable gathering place.

The second phase of renovation work will commence in early October on the opposite side of the upper level, encompassing the common area between the food court and Belk department store. The western concourse and end court will be treated in a similar fashion to the east side, with work scheduled to be complete by the end of 2015.

Two new elevators, with interior access points near each department store court, will be added allowing for better vertical transportation between the upper level of the shopping center and all levels of the parking decks. In addition, new family restrooms will be constructed adjacent to each of the department store courts, providing greater ease and comfort to a family’s shopping experience at Brookwood Village.

The third phase, beginning in January 2016, will focus on the existing food court and the central atrium on the building’s northern wall on the upper level.

The food court will be reworked to create a new distinctive dining destination that will include an array of tables for small, intimate meetings and large community tables for larger gatherings. Once complete, seating in the food court will accommodate approximately 370 diners. This space will highlight a combination of two-top, four-top and bar-height tables, as well as four showcase farm tables.

The central atrium will showcase warm wood tones in porcelain tile flooring and broad-loom carpeting, as well as exposed wood beams in the high ceilings. The existing half-octagonal windows, newly accented with floor-length drapes, will continue to allow for natural lighting to engulf the shopping center’s central gathering space. Additional lighting will be provided by decorative chandeliers and sconces. The area will host an abundant amount of soft seating options, including high-back chairs, stools, lamps plus decorative wood bookcases that replace metal handrails.

The third phase of renovations is slated for completion by March 31, 2016.

Finally, the fourth phase, beginning in April 2016 and slated to conclude in June 2016, will remodel the lower level common area. Directly inside the building’s main entrance off Village Lane, the foyer will feature a small soft seating area similar to the department store courts on the upper level.

Home Depot exec 1 of 2 new BN board members

Barnes & Noble Inc. has appointed a Home Depot president and a former executive of PaineWebber as two new independent directors to its board ahead of the company's separation of its retail and college businesses.

The new board members are Ann-Marie Campbell, president of the southern division of Home Depot, and Paul B. Guenther, former president of PaineWebber Group Inc., the parent company of Paine Webber, Incorporated.

Campbell’s career at Home Depot spans 30 years, where she rose from Associate to District Manager, prior to assuming VP and President roles for multiple store operations, merchandising, sales and marketing. She is a graduate of Georgia State University, Atlanta, with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Master of Business Administration. Campbell currently serves on the board of Potbelly Corporation, and on the Catalyst, Inc. Board of Advisors.

Guenther is a director of Guardian Life Insurance and Chairman of Community & Southern Holdings, based in Atlanta. He served as a director and as president of PaineWebber Group, Inc. and has served as President of PaineWebber, Incorporated, where he was also Chief Administrative Officer responsible for administrative services, operations and systems.

Guenther served for 13 years as chairman of the New York Philharmonic and of Fordham University, where he is still a board member, and is the former Director of the Securities Industry Association and a former President and Director of Columbia’s Graduate School of Business alumni association. Guenther earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Fordham University and an MBA in Finance from the Columbia Graduate School of Business.

In connection with the planned separation of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (“BNED”), it is anticipated that one or more current members of the board will resign and join the board of directors of BNED.

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